Dr. David Giguere

Dr. David Giguere is an assistant professor of psychology at California State University, Sacramento. He earned his doctorate degree in experimental psychology last year from FAU, whom he credits for helping him prepare for his new career. "At FAU I took classes, conducted research, and taught classes as a graduate instructor. All of these things directly prepared me for my responsibilities as a professor. I also received great mentoring at FAU from my Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Erika Hoff. She gave me all the tools I needed to succeed."

Dr. Giguere says he enjoyed the research he was involved with at FAU. "I had the opportunity to attend several conferences throughout Florida and all over the United States. I even conducted research internationally. I also liked living in Florida. I grew up in the desert and being able to live in a tropical climate was a great experience. I tried to swim in the ocean at least once a week. The ocean is what I miss most," Dr. Giguere said.

While at FAU Dr. Giguere conducted research on bilingual language development and credits his advisor for preparing him for his dissertation as soon as he started his graduate studies. “From Day One she exposed me to the research area that I ultimately looked at for my dissertation,” he said. "Additionally, I was involved with several research projects before I began my dissertation, so I was already very familiar with how to conduct and present research. My first couple of years as a Ph.D. student were very challenging, but by the time I got to the end, I was confident I would be able to successfully complete my dissertation." Dr. Giguere advises FAU students who wish to become college professors to find the right person to work with who is studying a topic you are interested in. "Gaining experience early in research, especially in research you might care about, may help you decide whether a job in academia is the right career path for you," he said.

When not teaching or conducting research, Dr. Giguere says his favorite thing to do is spending time with his one-year-old son. “He is adorable and so much fun," he said. "And when everyone else is sleeping, I love playing chess online."